Hooray, I now have someone to pull the pins at Cropredy!

Cropredy to Knotts Bridge (130), Oxford Canal, 8 miles 8 locks

Look who is on the front of No Problem pulling the pins this morning…

It seems an age since he has done that, and what an enjoyable day we have had just the two of us on ONE narrowboat, the last six months we have had a ‘his and hers’ narrowboat.  You can see too that the flowers on the top of No Problem are superb again this year.  Those trailing petunias certainly do make a lovely display.  I guess they are going to do what they did last year and cover the whole of the roof sideways on the boat.

Trouble is that Vic is already complaining that he can’t see over them.. I think I will have to get his saw bench outside so he can stand on that to look over the top!

It took over an hour to get through the first lock this morning.. there were two boats in front of us when we got to it, and by the time it was our turn there was a queue of 4 boats behind us waiting.  I remember last year when we were over in East Anglia not seeing a boat from one day to the next reading other blogs and tales of waiting hours to get through locks.. getting going at 5am to miss the queues.. now I am part of that.. not sure that I am that keen on queue-queue though..

A year of change for us though, we have some things we want to do this year, but I guess we will be off back to the beautiful rivers and lodes in the east again next year.. so very different from the congested canals, ho hum….

Wasn’t too long though ‘till we passed the scarecrow place.  Normally there are rows of scarecrows leant up against a barn building, but today somebody had stuck them all in the field close by.. such a lovely sight as you pass, very unusual.. hope all you grandchildren like this pic..

Don’t think many birds will chance landing in this field somehow!

Claydon Locks are tough.. they are always tough, the paddle gear is really hard to raise.  Luckily we have one of Alex’s ratchet windlasses which makes light work of lifting them, much to the amazement of others passing up and down, as we effortlessly wind the paddles with one hand.. showing off really we were!..  

Many asked where they could lay their hands on one.. they can be bought at Broadmoor Lock just north of Cropredy or you could email Alex himself (alex.aston-at-tiscali.co.uk) replacing the -at– with an @ .  They are a ‘must have’ item aboard for stiff paddle gear for sure.

Wasn’t long before we were at the top of the Claydon Flight..

Once again meeting a boat on the way down.. it sure was busy today.  Not surprised though, after all the rain, people making hay etc..

The cuts that the waterways are having to suffer because of DEFRA is showing.. especially on the towpaths.  Very overgrown, not only that but the overhanging trees and branches are causing problems along with quite a bit of the canal that was in bad need of dredging today.. here is an instance of lack of proper maintenance..

Instead of repairing this bridge it has been pointed!!  It is in a terrible state.. I wondered how long it would stay in one piece.  In fact it was Alex who told me about this bridge, we met briefly at the waterpoint at Fenny Compton today.. fond fair well from us to Alex until next year.. great guy is Alex

Popped into the marina there to get a couple of bulbs that had blown, and also to pick up another ‘Fred’… Now the old ‘Fred’ had been left on Tara and a couple of the grandchildren wanted to keep him.  Well girls, I had to get a new ‘Fred’ to go with the new No Problem.. I will take a photo tomorrow for your approval.. Tis our secret until the next blog as to who or what ‘Fred’ is then!

It was a bit late when we knocked the pins in at a lovely remote location on the long pound between the Claydon and Napton lock flights.. Lucy was wanting to walk..

I needed to do a Tesco order..

In the end I did both before the light faded on a very enjoyable day..